"Hmph."
"If you don't want the Uchiha to help, then fine."
A few still muttered with open contempt, but at Fugaku's raised hand, most of the clan finally quieted.
Shimura Danzō acted like he hadn't heard a thing.
He simply kept Root stationed at the entrance, watching the Uchiha district like a prison gate.
And by now, Danzō had figured it out.
That spiral-masked man's "cooperation" offer?
It was never about partnership.
It was about using tonight's Nine-Tails incident to smash the Uchiha's reputation.
The only piece Danzō couldn't place was the other one—
the white-bearded masked swordsman who had suppressed the Nine-Tails so casually.
Who the hell was that?
Ren Watches from Inside the Uchiha district
Not far behind Fugaku, Ren lazily stretched.
He'd left the compound earlier… but he'd also left behind a Shadow Clone, perfectly positioned.
So no one noticed that he'd already gone out, "played" with the Nine-Tails, and returned.
Watching this scene, Ren finally understood something clearly:
So this was why, in canon, the Uchiha and Root never appeared on the battlefield during the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Not because they couldn't.
Because they were forbidden to.
Ren's stomach turned.
The Nine-Tails was terrifying, sure—
but Konoha's leadership, for their own interests, would rather let the beast tear the village apart than allow the Uchiha to move freely.
They'd rather waste a massive portion of Konoha's strength…
just to keep the Uchiha contained—and blamed.
Ren's eyes narrowed, disgusted.
Hiruzen Sarutobi really was ruthless.
In the original story, Hiruzen confronted the Nine-Tails early—using Enma to force it away from the village.
But now?
Because of Ren's masked "guest appearance," the Nine-Tails had become even more violent.
And Ren didn't need to see the end to know how it would go.
When it truly mattered—
Hiruzen would retreat.
He'd let Minato handle the worst of it.
Because the Hokage seat was waiting.
Tonight would leave Konoha crippled. Someone would need to "take responsibility."
And if the Fourth Hokage died…
the Third Hokage could step back in—cleanly, officially, and permanently.
Outside the Village: The End of the Night
After Minato teleported the raging Nine-Tails to a remote clearing outside Konoha…
he used Flying Thunder God again and brought Kushina there as well.
Kushina's face was deathly pale.
Without the Nine-Tails inside her, even with the Uzumaki's monstrous vitality, her life force was draining away by the second.
"Minato… I'm done…"
"Waaah—!"
In her arms, newborn Naruto began to wail—sharp, desperate cries.
Minato looked at Kushina.
Then at his son.
His voice shook with guilt.
"I'm sorry… as Hokage, I have to—"
"I support you."
Kushina cut him off, weak but firm.
"My little sun… the only thing I'm worried about now is Naruto."
"Don't worry," Minato said, forcing steadiness into his voice. "The Third Hokage will take care of him."
Kushina nodded once.
Then, pushing through agony, she rose and unleashed the Uzumaki secret art—
Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Golden chakra chains erupted from her back, lashing out and binding the Nine-Tails as it tried to gather chakra again.
"ROAAAR—!!"
The Nine-Tails thrashed, but it was useless.
For a moment, the beast's instincts could only scream one thing:
I finally stood up… and now I'm being sealed again?!
Pathetic.
Humiliating.
Unfair.
The Sealing
What followed matched the original timeline:
Minato used the Reaper Death Seal to take the Nine-Tails' yin chakra—sealing it into the Shinigami along with himself.
The Nine-Tails' yang chakra was sealed into newborn Naruto using the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Minato and Kushina also left behind residual chakra within Naruto, so they could reach him later.
After their final words…
Namikaze Minato and Kushina Uzumaki died together.
And the cruel part?
Only after they were gone did Hiruzen finally arrive with Konoha's forces—right on time to inherit what was left.
An ANBU checked quickly, face twisted with grief.
"Third Hokage… the Fourth Hokage and Kushina… no life signs."
"Only a baby remains. It should be the Fourth Hokage's son…"
Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh.
"I understand."
"Handle the bodies."
Then he bent down and lifted the crying Naruto into his arms.
His eyes fell on the Eight Trigrams Seal on the infant's stomach.
Hiruzen frowned—just for a breath.
…Was I wrong?
But the doubt vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
I did it for Konoha. I wasn't wrong.
His gaze lowered to the baby again, voice sinking colder—more absolute.
"To protect your growth, I'll take care of you."
"But as a jinchūriki, you'll have to endure what others never will—pressure… hatred… ridicule."
And then, like a verdict:
"From today on, Naruto Uzumaki…"
"You're an orphan."
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